While Katou Megumi was being bothered, let us briefly rewind the time on the other side a little.
Kitahara Sousuke changed into simple black and white casual clothes and walked out of his house carrying a shoulder bag.
On the way, he happened to run into Yoshida Saki.
After all, they were classmates and now lived very close to each other. It would have been strange if they had not met.
"…"
Upon meeting, Yoshida Saki lowered her head, seemingly lost in thought, not saying a word as she hurriedly passed by Kitahara Sousuke.
"Stop."
Sousuke felt both amused and exasperated, calling out to her in a deep voice.
"?!"
The girl seemed as if she had been startled, her body trembling slightly, leaving Sousuke speechless.
Although he usually did not pay much attention to his classmates, he knew well enough.
There were rumors circulating in class recently that he had been cruelly bullying Yoshida Saki.
Kitahara Sousuke was partly too lazy to refute anything.
He did not want to associate with these people anyway.
The other part was that although these people imagined him bullying a girl, they had never once tried to help.
In Sousuke's eyes, they belonged to the kind of people not worth associating with.
Besides, keeping this foolish girl away from those hypocrites was actually beneficial.
So Kitahara Sousuke simply allowed the rumors to spread without concern.
However, seeing Yoshida Saki's expression as if he really had bullied her, he could not help but feel a little helpless.
He had not even asked her for rent yet.
If he were a real delinquent, he would have started collecting protection money long ago, right?
"I will come to your house tonight. There is something I want to talk to you about."
"Is the timing a problem?"
Kitahara Sousuke asked expressionlessly.
Yoshida Saki did not dare to say no.
Every day after school, she went straight home and avoided shopping or hanging out with the other girls.
She felt that the transformation she had painstakingly achieved with her mother's help was on the verge of collapsing.
But even so, she still did not dare to complain to the person in front of her.
She was not completely ungrateful either.
After hearing Kitahara Sousuke's words that day and thinking things through, she had broken out in a cold sweat imagining what could have happened to her otherwise.
Because of that, she also gained a bit more respect for Sousuke.
Still, her ingrained fear of him was hard to erase.
"N no, welcome…"
The girl tried her best to sound polite.
"Is that so? Then it is settled."
Having gotten his answer, Kitahara Sousuke did not pay her any more attention and continued walking forward.
He had other things to do.
"…"
Leaving Yoshida Saki standing alone in place.
---
"Shhh, be good."
Patting the small bundle hidden inside his bag, Sousuke quietly unzipped it a little to let in more air.
"Meow?"
A fluffy white cat head rubbed against the opening and squeezed out.
"Taking you to the hospital."
Kitahara Sousuke stroked the soft fur under the kitten's chin and spoke with a gentle smile, whether it understood him or not.
It was not that the cat was sick.
He just wanted to have it checked out, to make sure everything was fine.
He also wanted to let the two girls who found her see that she was safe and sound.
Near the hospital.
"Sousuke kun, long time no see."
"And Vanilla chan, you look so healthy, hahaha…"
Two familiar figures approached him.
A beautiful girl with long straight black hair, though somewhat gloomy and taciturn , Miko.
And her best friend, lively and well endowed with short hair , Koharu.
Although he still called Miss Katou by her last name when they met, he had already started addressing these two girls by their first names even though they had only known each other for a few days.
If these two had been his wives in his previous life, Sousuke would have been very happy.
Unfortunately, he could not find any memories of them.
Also, the overly energetic Koharu had a personality that was a little too much for him to handle.
The examinations were finished quickly.
The doctor concluded that Vanilla's body was so healthy that she did not seem like a stray kitten at all.
Afterward, the three of them casually boarded the train together to head home.
In Sousuke's mind, bringing pets onto the train was probably not the most proper thing to do.
However, Japan was very tolerant toward cats.
There were even famous cat trains with cats serving as stationmasters.
As long as he was careful, it would not be a problem.
The girls sat down on the seats while Kitahara Sousuke stood in front of them.
The view was nice, but that was not the point.
His priority was to protect them.
There were quite a few people on the train, making it slightly crowded.
Thanks to his height, Sousuke easily noticed an uncle acting suspiciously.
While Koharu was teasing Vanilla, Sousuke lowered his head and quietly chatted with the long haired girl sitting beside her, who looked somewhat absent minded.
"Miko."
"Ah? Sousuke…"
The gloomy girl seemed startled.
Her reaction was so strong that Sousuke could not help but shake his head silently.
"Did you run into some trouble? You look even more worn out than a few days ago."
Kitahara Sousuke smiled, hoping it would ease her tension.
"Is that so? Her complexion has always been like this. The gloomy and beautiful girl of the Heisei era, Miko chan, ta da."
Koharu suddenly jumped in, raising Vanilla high like a trophy as she joked.
"Do not call me that. It sounds disgusting."
Miko rejected the title instantly, her expression almost on the verge of tears.
---
"How can you say that? This is a major selling point of your character."
Koharu remained excited as she continued pestering Miko.
Meanwhile, Kitahara Sousuke made a casual suggestion.
"How about going to a shrine to pray? I know a place that is said to be really effective."
In this world, there were many mysterious and strange things.
There was even one near the base of Sousuke's apartment.
And this girl, Miko , ever since their first meeting, had felt a little strange.
Seeing the fear occasionally flashing across her face, even though she tried to hide it with an act of normalcy, her acting skills were not convincing at all.
"Maybe this girl can see something I cannot."
That was what Kitahara Sousuke thought.
"Mmm…"
"What is wrong?"
While Sousuke was lost in thought, Koharu rested her chin in her hand and stared at him curiously.
"I really did not expect you to believe in those kinds of legends."
As she spoke, Koharu suddenly started pinching the firm muscles on Sousuke's right forearm, commenting on them without restraint.
"Am I being taken advantage of?"
Sousuke looked down at the busty high school girl with an amused expression.
As for the question about whether he believed in the supernatural, Sousuke, being a transmigrator, could not outright deny the existence of gods.
But that was not something he could openly admit.
"The scenery is really beautiful. Look."
Sousuke randomly pulled up a photo of a shrine from Twitter and showed it to the girls.
"Wow, it is gorgeous. I want to go."
The two girls leaned in closer to look.
Miko remained silent, but Koharu was clearly excited.
In the photo, a tranquil shrine was bathed in morning sunlight, beams of light piercing through the trees, layering the scene with a radiant and holy glow.
It felt like a place where a god might actually appear.
Since Koharu had already agreed, Miko had no reason to refuse either.
"How about Saturday morning?"
Sousuke glanced outside at the sky, which had turned orange red with the setting sun, and asked.
"Then, see you. Bye bye."
Koharu handed Vanilla's carrier to Sousuke before getting off the train with Miko.
"Goodbye… and thank you."
Miko gave a small bow before following her friend off.
Sousuke still had several stops to go, so he sat down and started fiddling with his phone.
As the sky darkened, more passengers boarded, and the atmosphere on the train became heavier.
In the confined space, some people began to act more boldly.
"Tsk."
Sousuke suddenly sighed and cursed softly under his breath.
Putting away his phone, he pushed through the crowd toward the edge of the carriage and delivered a swift and merciless kick.
---